Here, there, and everywhere!

The team is back at home base in Arusha, exhausted by the intense experiences we have had in Nkoaranga. Medical and nursing students alike were thrown into the fire. Under the watchful eye of Dr. Julius, we have had several incredible medical experiences. In one situation, Harpreet and I (Marc) scrubbed into a particularly complicated Cesarean section. As the lights of the operating room shone over us, and the pressure to effectively aid Dr. Julius mounted, we helped deliver a baby which weighed 4.5 kilograms. When the baby was born without a pulse and not breathing, it was as if those same operating room lights were shining 100 times hotter and brighter. The situation was suddenly filled with urgency, and in an instant Hilarie and Supriya acted in order to save the baby's young life. Supriya and Hilarie acted as if they had nerves of steel and started CPR. Staying calm, cool and collected, they successfully sparked life back into the baby within a few minutes, giving it a chance at a healthy life. When the baby started crying, the cool African winter air returned to the room, staff and students alike were collectively relieved. In the meanwhile, as the surgery continued, the new mother began to rouse. As the intensity began to peak for a second time, we assisted Dr. Julius finish the operation as the patient began to feel pain and move her arms and legs. Speed and precision of our work were necessities and the surgery ended successfully. A couple of days later, the team visited the new mother and child, and we were happy to see them healthy and together. We have had many notable experiences in Nkaronga; another big highlight of the week included Christina scrubbing into her first, but definately not her last surgery. We have been stricken by the differences between Canadian healthcare and the standards of healthcare in rural Africa. In Canada, it is almost unimaginable that a patient would have major surgery while aenesthetic wears off.

Throughout the past 2 weeks at Nkaroanga hospital, the dental team, consisting of our two dental students, Andy and Cara, was able to provide great help and service to the locals under the supervision of Dr. Frank Akyoo, a local dentist. A community clinic that lasted for a total of 4 long days (9am - 5:30pm) was put together with the help of the hospital administration. By word of mouth, the free dental service clinic spread like wildfire to the surrounding villages and towns. At 9am in the morning, there were at least 20 people lined up awaiting dental services. The line never seemed to die down until late in the afternoon, as people continued to flood the dental building. From elders to children, people waited patiently for hours to be seen in hopes of being relieved of dental pain. The problems ranged significantly from severe periodontitis to periapical abscesses secondary to dental infections to heavily decayed teeth. The majority of the dental treatments rendered were dental extractions, with some scalings and root planings as well as composite fillings. All of the patients that we treated were extremely thankful and appreciated our services. For Andy and Cara, this experience was certainly worthwhile and they were grateful to be presented with this opportunity to help people who would not otherwise receive dental treatment due to financial restrictions.

Prior to our departure from Nkoaranga hospital, we handed over a luggage-bag full of medical and dental instruments and supplies that will certainly benefit the hospital and all of its patients. The donation of these supplies was made possible thanks to our fundraising efforts as well as MedOutreach donors and supporters. We are thankful for the opportunity we have had to learn and assist in Nkaronga hospital, and look forward to using these experiences to advance our skills as medical and nursing students.

In addition to our incredible medical and dental experiences, the team had many other highlights during our Nkoaranga adventures. For the two weeks we spent in Nkoaranga, the eight of us shared the hospital guest house with four other volunteers from England and a mysterious spirit named Stanley. Stanley visited us on a nightly basis, making strange noises and causing a ruckus. The creepy sounds kept us on edge and one night even drove Marc out of his bed to escape into the girl's room for safety. The unexplained happenings all seemed to stem from the attic... So to face our fears and for the chance to meet Stanley face-to-face the group spent one night in the attic... and survived!
To make matters more interesting the power outages in Nkoaranga were numerous, often and added to the haunted experience. Within the darknesss of our house, we still had to complete our daily tasks such as cooking, cleaning and showering. With our headlamps and flashlights to light the way we were able to cook romantic, candlelight dinners and enjoyed our cold, refreshing showers. After long days at the hospital and no power at the house, we often travelled to cafe Tanz-Hands in Usa River to enjoy nice home cooked meals. By the end of our two weeks, the staff at the cafe became family, greeting us with warm smiles and banana chocolate milkshakes.

Our main mode of transportation in Nkoaranga was the dala-dala. We often rode it down the massive mountain to Killala and Cafe Tanz-Hands. The dala-dalas are packed, mini mini-vans and one day when there was no space inside we climbed onto the roof and travelled in "high class" to Killala. We also explored Nkoaranga by foot, venturing up the beautiful mountain to Urisho Village. Along the way, we met many of welcoming hospital staff and even accompanied a family to the top carrying their children on our backs in the traditional Tanzanian way. The view at the top was absolutely breath taking but the view for the villagers was quite surprising as they had probably never seen Canadian visitors in Urisho. Despite getting lost on our way down, Christina's strong sense of direction and pocket full of candy, aided us in getting local children to help us find our way.
Besides our mini adventures and hikes, we spent most of our free time visiting the orphanage behind the guest house. From the first day to the last, these kids won our hearts over and their contagious laughter and smiles lit up our days. Approximately 25 toddlers and infants live in one house, under the care of Mama Pendo and only 3 other staff. One thing we realized during our visits was how fortunate we are back in Canada, to have what we have, as these kids have close to nothing. The orphans share their beds, toys, clothes, food, everything ... and for them to be able to smile and appreciate life as much as they do is a lesson for all of us. We were able to make a few donations (thanks to Corunna Church and Mrs.Singh/Jump Rope for Heart) but our biggest contribution was being there to share our love with each and every one of them. We really fell in love with these kids and for some of us these kids have been the highlight of our trip so far. Although it was hard to leave, we hope to go back and visit.

We send our love to all those back home! We are safe, happy, stomachs fully satisfied and looking forward to work with Dr.Mhando and Dr.Tekley in the following weeks.

-The Medoutreach Gang